Just a one percent undercount could severely impact representation and funding for community services

NEW YORK, NY ?? --Today, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12) and NYC Census 2020 Director Julie Menin joined community advocates to urge all New Yorkers to get counted.

A full, fair and accurate census is the cornerstone of a healthy, equitable, and inclusive democracy. Unfortunately, as we face a public health crisis, a global economic downturn, and attacks from the Trump Administration - a full and accurate Census count is in jeopardy.

New York continues to trail behind the national Census self-response rate. Now more than ever, New Yorkers must respond to the Census so that we can be represented and not erased.

The full event is available to view here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4gDZR0VMRY&feature=youtu.be.

"Make no mistake, this census has been under attack since the day President Trump took office," said Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12). "This makes it more important than ever to ensure every single person in New York City participates in the census and helps secure the future of our communities for the next ten years. But the data shows that much work still remains. So far, more than 62% of households across the country have self-responded to the Census. However, within New York State only 58% of households have self-responded. The City is even further behind, with a response rate under 54%."

"For every 1% of the population missed in the 2020 census, New York City could lose nearly $7.3 million in federal funding for public education. With the next census 10 years away, that means roughly $70 million dollars could be deprived to our city's public schools over the next decade, with over $4 million dollars lost in NY-12 alone. A 1% undercount also means our city could lose $3.7 million per year for critical jobs programs. That's nearly $4 million lost over the next decade for services like career counseling, mentoring, and apprenticeship."

"My message today is a simple one: to make sure our city gets the funding and representation it is entitled to under the law, everyone needs to fill out their Census now."

"With just 100 days left to go before time's up, we need to ensure every New Yorker is counted now," said Julie Menin, NYC Census 2020 Director and Executive Assistant Corporation Counsel, NYC Law Department. "Because nobody knows your own household better than you do, don't wait until there's a knock on your door -- self-respond online now in just a few minutes to make sure you're getting your fair share of the money, power, and respect that the census brings to all of us."

"As we near the final months of Census outreach efforts in New York City, it's imperative that leaders across our City continue to spread the message that the Census matters for everything from dollars for community programs to our representation in Congress. We will continue to fight here in New York City to make sure that we achieve that complete count while leaders like Rep. Carolyn Maloney fight in Washington to protect our count from the Trump administration and their anti-immigrant agenda," said New York City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, Co-Chair of the Council's 2020 Census Task Force.

"We are all proud to be from Brooklyn and our distinct Brooklyn neighborhoods, but we are just talking a big game unless we show up for Brooklyn in the 2020 Census. We need to #MakeBrooklynCount 100%. We know our neighbors respond best when they are speaking with trusted community leaders. So every day, our local organizations, representatives and volunteers are calling, texting, and engaging with people to teach them the importance of the Census. People are making the connection that responding to the Census means better schools for their kids, more healthcare for their parents, and better public spaces for their families," said Linnea Cederberg and Pastor Gil Monrose, Co-Leaders of the Brooklyn Complete Count Committee.

"Barring immigrants from participating in the census is both unconstitutional and illegal. It's clear that the real motive behind this extraordinary move is to suppress the count for partisan gain, to cheat New York of it's fair share of federal funds and representation. We will not let him win at his blatantly political and racist games. Every New Yorker will be counted, regardless of race, age, gender, or immigration status for the good of all New Yorkers," said Meeta Anand, Census 2020 Senior Fellow, New York Immigration Coalition.

"New York City's recovery depends on an accurate count from all our communities," said Melva Miller, Executive Vice President at the Association for a Better New York leading the Census effort. "For too long we've been undercounted ?and as a result, many of our communities have been left behind. To make matters worse this year, the President continues to use fear tactics to try to dissuade our immigrant communities from filling out their census forms. It's time for all New Yorkers to ?be seen, be heard and be counted, and get our fair share."

"Trump's memorandum is nothing more than an unconstitutional partisan ploy to appease his political base, and his latest baseless attempt to intimidate and confuse immigrant residents from participating in the Census and try to erase undocumented immigrant communities from our country. The President knows that his disastrous tenure will soon be ending and that the only way he can continue to promulgate his anti-immigrant, white supremacist agenda is by trying to change the "rules of the game and cooking the books" in order to sow fear and create conditions that will lead to voter suppression and diminishing congressional representation among Latinos and other marginalized communities," said Jose Perez, Deputy General Counsel at LatinoJustice PRLDEF

"The end of the Census response period is just a few months away but it is clear that the Administration will do anything they can to inject unnecessary fear and chaos into these final days," said Amy Torres, Director of Policy & Advocacy at the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC). "Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) are the fastest growing racial group in the nation. A fair, accurate count would not only mean increased funding for our communities, but the increased representation, language access, and tailored services that would decrease the disparities faced by AAPIs and other communities of color. As the Trump Administration fights against those gains, CPC remains resolute in fighting toward a complete count."

Although it will only take five minutes of your time, the 2020 Census will determine funding and representation for our communities for the next decade. We cannot allow the Trump Administration to be successful in its attempt to suppress the count, create fear in black and brown communities, and rob us of critical funding. I encourage all New Yorkers to Stand Up and Be Counted today," said Derek Perkinson, NYC Field Director at National Action Network (NAN).

Background

Following the Trump Administration's unconstitutional and illegal memorandum seeking to remove undocumented immigrants from the 2020 Census apportionment count, Congresswoman Maloney has scheduled an emergency hearing in the Committee on Oversight and Reform on Wednesday, July 29 at 10 AM.

A report prepared by the Democratic Staff of the Committee on Oversight and Reform and Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties details that if there is just a 1% undercount in the 2020 Census, NY-12 residents could lose:

* $430,000 in federal funding for schools that have a high proportion of low-income students, or the equivalent of all the textbooks that 1,700 students would need in a school year.

* $320,000 in federal funding for job training centers and career counseling.

Go to: https://maloney.house.gov/sites/maloney.house.gov/files/Census%20District%20Report%20-%20Maloney%20%284-27%20clean%29_0.pdf to read the full report.

2020 Census Self-Response Rates as of Saturday, July 25.

* National: 62.4%

* New York State: 58%

* New York City: 53.8%

* NY-12: 53.2%

Rep. Maloney urges households in the district to fill out their Census forms right now--in the comfort of their own homes--by going online at https://my2020census.gov/ calling 844-330-2020, or filling out the forms they received in the mail.

Read this original document at: https://maloney.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/maloney-menin-host-virtual-census-event-to-urge-all-new-yorkers-to-get